Chicago City Council approves ‘code of silence’ settlement

March 1, 2018

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago City Council has agreed to pay $20 million to the families of two men killed when a drunken off-duty police officer slammed into their car in 2009.

Krystal Cazares said the settlement in the death of her brother Andrew Cazares and his friend Fausto Manzera is part of “a movement” to hold police accountable despite attempts to cover for their colleagues.

Lawyers for the families alleged in their wrongful death lawsuit that a police code of silence protected ex-Detective Joseph Frugoli and caused him to think he could drink and drive without fear of consequences.

Frugoli was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison.

The agreement in December to pay $10 million each to relatives of Cazares and Manzera came after it was revealed key documents involving a bar fight in Frugoli’s past had been improperly withheld by lawyers for the city.